Disgruntled
by Evie-Chan589
Summary: Gaara is a down on his luck highschool dropout struggling to make ends meet by working as a waiter in downtown Konoha. What happens when the rich, handsome, and disgustingly arrogant business tycoon Hyuga Neji gets thrown into his life? NejiGaara
1. Chapter 1

Gaara sighed with frustration, glancing down at the small white notepad one last time before he heaved a tray laden with food up to his shoulder and marched off to his next table.

He forced himself to smile pleasantly at each of his customers while he set a plate of steaming food down in front of them. He may be tired, cranky, and antisocial but he really did need the tips now that he was living on his own. With one last nod at the content diners he headed off, pulling a rag out of his back pocket and wiping the sweat off his brow. With his free hand he pushed open the door to the kitchen, grimacing as a blast of heat slammed into him.

"Hey, Naruto."

A perky blonde dressed in the same black and white attire as Gaara hopped off the countertop he'd been lying on and faced his friend with a charismatic grin.

"What can I do for you?"

"I'm taking my break now, if Orochimaru asks I'll be out front."

With that Gaara started undoing the buttons of his official black vest and heading back out to the entrance of the restaurant. The frigid October night came as a huge relief to the redhead, cooling the sweat of his face on contact. He sighed deeply, letting bright green eyes shut for a moment as he savored the sweet smell of fall. Even in the bustling and unforgivingly polluted city of Konoha this time of year was beautiful to him.

He reached into the pocket of his tight fitting pants, fishing about until his fingers found purchase on a tiny cardboard box which he immediately pulled out. He tapped out a cigarette eagerly, placing it between two pale pink lips and lighting up. When he'd still been living in Suna he found the habit of smoking to be disgusting, especially considering that his least favorite person in the world, his father did it. Just the smell of the smoke used to make bile rise in his throat. But when he decided to leave the neglectful asshole two years ago at the tender of fourteen the telltale scent took on a whole new meaning. It reminded him of the home and fun times he'd shared with his siblings, they were the only things he ever missed about his old backwater town.

It was sad but he just couldn't stand to stay with his dad any longer, especially after uncle Yashamaru's suicide when the man became even more withdrawn and spiteful. Besides, Temari and Kankuro abandoned him first, one going to college while the other dropped out of high school to live with his stoner friends.

Gaara sighed once again; he really hated to think about his hometown, it was filled with painful memories that were much better forgotten. He was much happier now, living in a dingy apartment with his two friends Naruto and Haku, they offered a better family life than he could ever have had hoped of having before. A slight smile graced his face as he thought about those the two lovable idiots who'd pulled him out of a year long depression. The trio had met a couple months after Gaara had moved to Konoha; all three were employees at Snake Eyes, the hotspot restaurant located in the middle of the city. Haku had been living with his now ex-boyfriend, Naruto had decided to run away from boarding school, and Gaara had been homeless. It just made sense money wise for the group to split the rent on a small two-bedroom apartment. It was a decision none had come to regret, the best friendships of their lives had arisen from it.

Gaara casually glanced down at his watch, eyes widening with surprise as he realized his break had once again run long. Quickly he pulled the cigarette from his mouth and dropped it on the ground, snubbing it out with the toe of his scuffed up sneakers. Fearful of being reprimanded by his boss he spun about hurriedly rushing forward without bothering to look where he was going. This, of course, was a bad idea. Seconds later he was lying flat on the ground, staring in shock at a tall brunette boy towering above him.

"Are you okay?"

Gaara blinked; momentarily stunned from the combination of his fall and the unnatural attractiveness of this man. He had the body of an athlete and was impeccably dressed in some very expensive looking designer duds, with long shiny brown hair falling down to the middle of his back and a stunning pair of pearly light eyes staring back at him from the midst of a perfectly proportioned face he was nothing short of enrapturing. The stranger noticed the stare, and it wasn't difficult at all to guess what it implied. An arrogant smirk spread over his face as he began to survey the boy before him with a new set of eyes. He chuckled lightly when the teen still hadn't answered his question.

"You didn't sustain any brain damage did you, honey?"

Gaara was immediately snapped out of his stupor, fists clenching with annoyance, it really was a pet peeve of his to be patronized.

"I'm fine."

He snarled ignoring an outstretched hand and pulling himself to his feet. The man raised an elegant eyebrow, a little taken aback that the boy was being rude to him.

"Well, glad to hear it, for a minute there I was a little worried."

Gaara straightened out his outfit and ran a hand through his sloppy red spikes before fixating his piercing gaze on the brunette.

"Well don't be, everything is just peachy keen now."

If sarcasm could be used as currency Gaara would be the richest person on earth. The man stared for a moment longer before the corners of his mouth quirked up and he started laughing.

"I like you Gaara."

The redhead started; pulling a complete mental blank as to how someone he'd never met before knew his name. His worries of a stalker were instantly quelled however when he remembered the mandatory nametag he kept pinned to the front of his white dress shirt. He was certain his shock had been painted all over his face and now a blush was rapidly rising to his cheeks as he realized how stupid he must have looked. The cocky brunette chuckled one last time.

"My name is Neji, and I'll be seeing you around."

With those ominous parting words he turned and gracefully ascended the marble steps, disappearing through the double doors of the restaurant. Gaara glared after his retreating back, mumbling angry words under his breath as he too headed back in.

"Stupid conceited bastard…"

---

Neji sat at his table, long fingers fiddling idly with the silk tablecloth as he awaited the arrival of his uncle. Despite being one of the most clever and wealthy businessmen in the world the man had an unfortunate penchant for being late. The normal amount of annoyance and impatience he would feel in this situation did not exist however, as he was thoroughly entertained by running his encounter with the fiery redhead over in his mind.

'Such an interesting boy…not too hard on the eyes either.'

The sound of a throat being cleared brought Neji out of his daydream as he looked up to lock eyes with the owner of the restaurant he was currently seated in. It wasn't really surprise to see such an important and undoubtedly busy man standing in front of him, he was used to receiving special attention wherever he went. The greasy man grinned down at him, sickeningly long tongue darting out briefly to wet his lips before speaking.

"It is such an honor to have a highly esteemed member of the Hyuga family dining in my restaurant."

Neji smiled politely.

"Thank you very much, you truly flatter me."

Orochimaru shifted, narrow unblinking eyes flashing with delight as the infamous tongue flashed out once again. He really did look for all the world like the snakes he seemed to have such a dedicated love for.

"If there's anything I can do to make your visit more comfortable please let me know."

The Hyuga tilted his head to the side thoughtfully, a genius idea suddenly occurring to him.

"Actually I believe there is something you could do."

Orochimaru gave him an eager smile.

"What would that be?"

"I'd like to request a specific waiter who goes by the name of Gaara."

The man looked quite surprised.

"Gaara?"

"Yes, I met him outside and was quite intrigued by him. I only assumed that he worked here by the way he was dressed if I'm mistaken then-"

"No,no, no." Orochimaru cut him off. " He does work here I was just slightly taken aback. Don't worry I'll get him."

"Thank you."

Neji smirked to himself as he watched the restaurants owner eagerly shuffling off to fulfill his demand.

'This just keeps getting better and better.'

---

Gaara didn't have any other tables to wait, this time of night there was usually a slight lull before business really heated up and he was trying his best to enjoy the break. He had hardly had any time to relax however before the boss himself was pushing through the kitchen's metal doors and making a beeline for him.

Everyone in the kitchen went quiet, those who hadn't been working started and those who had picked up the pace. Gaara swallowed nervously, desperately searching his mind for any of the possible mistakes he'd made recently that could constitute a conversation with his superior. Due to his long spindly legs it wasn't long at all before Orochimaru was standing inches away from the redhead, eyes darting to the side in an uncharacteristic display of anxiety.

"Gaara. I have a very important job for you. We happen to have one of the wealthiest and most revered rising business tycoon's in all of Japan sitting in our dining area and he has requested you to be his waiter."

Green eyes widened nearly to the size of dinner plates as Gaara stared at his boss with shock. What the hell could a person like that want with him?

"Are you up to it?"

Gaara hesitated for a minute and then nodded vigorously, this sounded like a great opportunity for a hefty tip.

"Good, good glad to hear it."

Orochimaru reached out, trying in vain to flatten out the boy's unruly hair as he chewed fretfully on his lower lip.

"You'd better be on your best behavior, I don't want to hear of any smart ass comments."

Gaara shivered of the feel of the cold clammy hand touching him but managed a slight nod anyways.

"Alright, good luck."

An instance later the redhead found himself shoved unceremoniously out into the main dining area of the restaurant with his mind still spinning. He took a deep breath and glanced down at the pad of paper Orochimaru had shoved into his hands at the last minute. He was supposed to go to table number seven. He looked up, scanning over the heads of various customers before his eyes came to rest on his assigned table. There sat a rather familiar looking brunette, staring straight at him with a smirk painted unabashedly across his face. Gaara's jaw dropped, his heart plummeted, and his hopes sank.

"Aw, shit. Not this guy again"

---

Well this is a pretty short first chapter but I was really eager to get this out quickly. The idea was buzzing around in my head and wouldn't leave me alone but I feel really guilty because I have other stories I'm supposed to be updating.

But anyway, I really like where this is going and if you guys like it too I'll put out a second (and much longer) chapter as soon as I can. REVIEW! …please.


	2. Chapter 2

Gaara stared ahead; far too stunned to move as the man's unnaturally pale eyes bore right into him. The longer those icy orbs focused on him the harder it became to think rationally and he could feel his palms starting to sweat, making it difficult to keep a hold on his order pad. His right foot tapped nervously on the ground and his mind willed the rest of him to move but his body was refusing to comply.

The spell was suddenly broken however when Neji looked away to greet the arrival of an older gentleman who bore a shocking resemblance to the young Hyuga. Gaara blinked slowly, grateful for the opportunity to collect his thoughts as he forced his tongue to unstick from the roof of his mouth.

'Of all the rich pompous bastards in the world why did I have to get stuck with this one?'

A loud sigh of annoyance left his lips as he nervously fingered the binding of his order pad and started to march forward almost as if heading to the gallows. He could already sense that this was going to be a very long night.

"Hello my name is Gaara and I will be your server for the night."

He snapped each word out in a mechanical voice staring straight ahead and refusing to make eye contact with the smirking brunette before him.

"I will get you started with the specials for the night. We have hickory smocked salmon served with-"

He didn't get a chance to finish listing each delectable meal choice as Neji abruptly cut him off.

"Don't bother with the specials I've already decided." He shot a pointed glance to his companion. "I've had quite a bit of time to think about it."

The older man merely chuckled, shaking his head from side to side and looking amused.

"I'll take whatever my nephew is taking."

Gaara nodded slowly, not yet over the irritation of being interrupted as he brought the notepad to the ready.

"And what would you like, sir?"

Neji tilted his head to the side, smiling charmingly at the redhead.

"Oh, please just call me by my first name. Sir sounds so old."

"Okay." Gaara drawled out in annoyance. "What would you like, _Neji_?"

He said the name as if it was some sort of disgusting disease and by even mentioning it he was growing physically ill. The elder Hyuga looked between the two with a raised eyebrow, wondering how this indignant young boy knew his nephew's name.

"I would like this."

Neji smirked, pointedly holding his menu out slightly and front of him and gesturing at one of the dishes, successfully forcing the redhead to inch closer and lean in next to him to see what he was indicating. Gaara scowled, hunching over and squinting in an attempt to make out the delicate print on the menu, all to aware of Neji's lips hovering inches from the shell of his ear.

Just as he was done recording the Hyuga's meal order and had started to pull away he felt a soft stream of air tickling his ear, abruptly sending the small hairs on the back of his neck on end. He let out a small gasp, instinctively jerking away and staring at Neji with disbelief. The gesture had been so quick and subtle that in any other situation he would have been able to convince himself it was an accident. But the way the brunette was sitting there, chin resting in folded hands and all the fires of hell dancing mischievously in his eyes, Gaara knew that the action had been completely deliberate.

Jade green eyes narrowed to dangerous slits and he had to fight to keep himself from dumping a glass of water over that smirking bastard's head.

"You can expect your food shortly."

With that he turned on his heel, moving as quickly as he could without running towards the safety of the kitchen. The second he was through those beautiful double doors he slammed his piece of paper onto the chef's revolving wheel and fell back against the wall, breathing heavily.

"Uh, Gaara? Are you okay?"

He looked up to see Naruto standing in front of him with a concerned expression on his face. It was weird to see the normally impassive redhead getting worked up over something.

"Do you know where Haku is?"

Right now Gaara really needed the feminine boy's help, he had more experience dealing with creepy customers than anyone else. Naruto continued to look surprised at Gaara's uncharacteristic franticness.

"I think he and Zabuza are taking their break together…again."

Gaara rolled his eyes. Zabuza was an assistant chef and had been Haku's boyfriend for all of one month and already the two were inseparable. He scowled viciously while running a hand through his hair with frustration.

"I really want to punch my customer in the face."

Naruto suddenly looked quite panicky.

"Man, you know you can't do that. I swear Orochimaru's patience is running out, the next time you do anything rude to a customer you could be out of here."

Gaara sighed.

"I didn't say I was going to punch him I only said I wanted to. Trust me there's a difference."

---

Hiashi smiled pleasantly at Neji as he filled up his wine glass halfway with champagne he'd pulled from his briefcase. It was a rather odd quirk the man had but he was very picky about alcohol and insisted on bringing his own bottle whenever they went out to dine.

"So how's everything been going with you?"

Neji lifted the glass up to his lips and took a delicate sip.

"Just wonderfully, the business has been going along excellently but of course you'd know that."

Hiashi nodded, he was known for his near obsessive surveillance of every department in his massive monopoly.

"You've been doing a fine job, Neji I look forward to the day I can retire and leave everything in your hands."

The young Hyuga tried his hardest to not let an excited smile break through his calm mask.

"Don't talk like that, you're years from retirement."

The man put his champagne down, regarding his nephew with soft unguarded eyes.

"The mansion has been awfully lonely since you left…"

Neji sighed deeply, he knew exactly where this was going; they'd had this conversation many times. Much to his surprise however his uncle brought his hands up defensively.

"I know your eighteen now and you need your independence I'm just saying everything's different now that your gone…"

He averted his eyes from Neji's face for a second, as if trying to will away any negative feelings before looking back up with a rekindled brightness.

"But never mind that, why don't you tell me what's going on between you and our waiter?"

---

Gaara closed his eyes, only for a second, in an attempt to calm his aggression and soothe his nerves.

'All you have to do is walk over there, put the food on the table, and then leave. It's not so bad, you've done this a million times before.'

He sighed for what felt like the millionth time that night, giving himself a short affirmative nod before grabbing up the tray and heading back out into the dining area, head held high.

"I hope you enjoy your meal if there's any troubles at all please let me know."

He set each dish down in front of their respective owners, being careful to avoid eye contact despite being painfully aware that both men were starting at him with the same creepy pale-eyed stare. Once he'd relieved himself of the burden of the plates he turned hurriedly to leave, internally praising himself for a job well done.

But before he had his chance to exit Neji once again displayed his penchant for taking a parting shot when one open hand shot out from under the table and landed with a satisfying smack on Gaara's rear end.

Green eyes shot open, pale pink lips parted into an expression of shock, and an angry red blush invaded his cheeks as the boy rapidly turned around, completely prepared to initate a fistfight.

"What the hell was that?!"

Neji beamed up at him proudly while his older companion simply placed his face in his hands and shook his head mournfully. Gaara's scowl darkened in response to the brunette's infuriating happiness. This caused the expression on the young Hyuga's face to immediately change from one of arrogant satisfaction to a practiced innocence. He jutted his lower lip out and widened his eyes to a nearly comical proportion.

"Why are you so angry?"

Gaara could feel his temper rising up like boiling water and he had to clench his fists hard enough to leave fingernail imprints in his palms just to keep it from getting the best of him.

"Don't play coy with me, asshole."

Neji still had that puppy dog look on his face but now he seemed a little more annoyed than amused.

"You know I'm not sure your boss would be too happy if he heard that you were cursing at me and if you keep this up I may have to take some action."

Gaara's heart plummeted to his stomach as he struggled to think of a response that wouldn't get him fired.

"I-you…ARGH!"

He threw his hands in the air with defeat and quickly turned to head back to the kitchen, a weight suddenly resting on his shoulders.

'He's not going to tell Orochimaru. He wouldn't, I know he wouldn't…would he?'

---

Hiashi faced his nephew, trying his best to look stern when it was apparent all he really wanted to do was laugh.

"You really need to start outgrowing this behavior, or at least learn to control it. A sexual harassment lawsuit would not reflect well on our company."

Neji only smiled and rolled his eyes, picking up a fork and proceeding to pick daintily at his food.

The rest of the meal passed with all the usual mannerisms, polite conversation, and idle chitchat. Things didn't truly start to get interesting until the end, when Hiashi had paid the bill and gone outside to summon their limo, leaving Neji alone in the restaurant.

With a grin the pale-eyed mischief-maker got up from the table and strolled over to the metal doors he'd seen Gaara disappear through earlier. There was a sign hanging on it that read in bold black print "Employees Only" but things like that had never stopped Neji before. Granted, he did receive a few odd looks from the various workers milling about but they all knew their place and not one dared to ask him to leave.

He stopped in the middle of the bustling heat filled room, scanning until he saw that familiar shock of red hair hovering some twenty feet away. Filled with anticipation and glee he marched over in that direction, tapping the boy on the shoulder to gain his attention.

Upon seeing him those green eyes narrowed with hatred and arms folded defensively across his chest.

"What do you want?"

Neji didn't answer at first, he was too busy admiring the boy's face. He had very delicate, almost girly features that did not match his hell-raiser attitude at all. Neji squinted a bit, just now noticing that the boy appeared to be wearing eyeliner.

"What do you want?"

Gaara repeated himself, sounding even more annoyed than he had the first time if that was even possible. Neji smiled, reaching out to put one arm around his slender waist and pulling him closer. Aside from stiffening up a bit the boy remained unmoving both facially and in posture. Neji leaned in next to his ear for the second time to whisper in a low voice.

"I just wanted to give you this in person."

The hand resting on the petite redhead's back slid lower down to his back pocket, sliding in something before quickly pulling away along with the rest of Neji.

"See you tomorrow."

A none too discreet wink followed those parting words as Neji turned, strutting back out of the kitchen without so much as a backwards glance. On the outside Gaara looked like stone but inside he was fuming.

"Well that was weird."

Naruto still stood behind him, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Why don't you check what he put in your pocket? I think it was money."

Gaara reached back nonchalantly pulling out two folded hundred dollar bills. He glanced down at them impassively before stuffing them back in and resuming his staring at the place where Neji had disappeared, mulling over the last thing he'd said.

'He's going to see me tomorrow?'

"You know," Naruto interjected his thoughts. "He was actually kind of cute."

Gaara gave his friend an icy glare.

"Do you think there's anyway I could not come to work tomorrow?"

---

Well there's chapter two, hoped you guys liked it. This wasn't a particularly eventful installment, just building up of Neji and Gaara's relationship and setting the stage for later chapters.

I did this chapter pretty quickly and I was too lazy to read it over more than once for mistakes so if there's any just point them out and I'll fix it.

REVIEW!


	3. Chapter 3

A leisurely sigh escaped Neji's lips as he flopped back against the satin of his bed sheets. Today had certainly been…interesting so the opportunity to relax came as a welcome relief. He let his eyes slide shut, hands tucked behind his head as his mind wandered freely over all the most prominent aspects of his life... There was the possibility that he would soon inherit the business, his newfound independence, and that fiery waiter he was using as a distraction from everyday stresses.

The corners of his mouth curled up at that last thought. Neji had always had a certain sense of entitlement as a result of a spoiled childhood and he was used to everyone and everything being constantly available to him. The stubbornness of that one boy was not only intriguing to him but also frustrating, causing him to be even more aggressive and flirtatious then he normally was. Even with that amount of determination Gaara had remained completely obstinate, refusing to cave in to Neji's undeniable charms.

The Hyuga rolled onto his side, idly studying the expensive artwork covering the walls of his penthouse. Finally his eyes came to rest on the full length Victorian mirror he'd set up in the corner of the room. His own reflection stared back at him with unforgiving intensity. Neji turned his face from side to side, examining himself from all angles before smiling contently.

"What is wrong with that kid?" He wondered aloud, sparing one last glance towards the mirror. "How can he resist this?"

Neji flopped back on the bed, now staring at the ceiling as he mulled over his last words to the redhead.

I'll see you tomorrow 

He hadn't really been thinking too clearly when he'd made that statement, it was merely another attempt to get some sort of reaction out of the brat. But now he supposed he would have to go back to the restaurant, he didn't want to be known as one who would make idle threats. The only question was how he could make it look natural?

'I suppose I'm long over due for a lunch date with my cousins.'

He grimaced slightly thinking about Hanabi. It wasn't exactly at the top of his list of priorities to spend time with the obnoxious girl.

'Maybe I'll just take Hinata…'

---

Gaara closed the door to his apartment firmly behind him, being careful to secure every lock before removing his shoes and heading to the room he shared with Naruto to change into some more comfortable clothes. He had the apartment all to himself tonight, Haku had gone out somewhere with Zabuza after work and Naruto had gone down the hall to hang out with Ino and Sakura.

Gaara's nose crinkled with disdain as he thought about the two girls. Naruto had had an epic crush on Sakura ever since they'd first moved to the building and it was apparent to everyone but him that the girl loved the attention but did not care for him at all. In short terms she was leading him on for her own amusement at the expense of his feelings. Gaara had to force himself to stop thinking on the subject, he had enough problems of his own, he didn't need to deal with Naruto's.

Once he'd changed out of his stuffy waiter uniform and into a pair of black sweats and a baggy gray t-shirt he promptly headed to the kitchen, pulling out a container of cold fast food and heading to the couch for an evening of peaceful vegetation. The way he figured, he needed all the rest he could get because tomorrow that annoying Neji guy was surely going to bother him again.

He brought a heaping forkful of cold noodles to his mouth and chewed thoughtfully as he mulled over his meeting with Neji, attempting to break down his odd character the way he always did when meeting someone new.

The man certainly had some sort of superiority complex, a classic sense of entitlement and arrogance that would normally drive Gaara insane. The key word being_normally_ because try as he might he couldn't deny that there was just something about this guy that wouldn't let his mind rest. Sure he was annoying, Gaara really didn't like the way he touched him so openly and the whole threatening him with going to Orochimaru really pissed him off. But at the same time he was also fascinated by the Hyuga, maybe it was the way he walked with such confidence, the apparent intelligence he displayed, or maybe it was his undeniable attractiveness but a small part of Gaara was looking forward to seeing him again.

He groaned, leaning his head back against the worn maroon couch. He wanted so badly to just be able to hate that arrogant rich prick but his hormones didn't want to let that happen.

The next morning Gaara had to literally drag himself out of bed, he'd only gotten about two hours of sleep. His anxiety over Neji was bringing back his long forgotten plight of insomnia. Haku shot him a sympathetic look as he came trudging into the kitchen.

"You didn't sleep too well?"

Gaara offered only a sluggish shake of his head before grabbing a mug and promptly filling it to the brink with coffee, no milk or sugar for this sleepy teen. Haku sighed softly, cracking an egg into the frying pan. It landed with a satisfying hiss, and it wasn't long at all before the enticing aromas of breakfast started dancing around the kitchen. Gaara thanked God everyday that Haku lived with them; neither he nor Naruto could cook worth a damn.

The feminine brunette prodded the bacon with the edge of his spatula before turning back around and leaning casually against the counter.

"Naruto told me about your creepy customer, I'm really sorry I couldn't be there." A faint smile graced his delicate features. "I was busy with Zabuza."

Gaara took another sip of coffee, studying his friend over the rim of the cup with wary eyes, Haku was known for getting into far too much detail when it came to his personal life. Thankfully the boy didn't get a chance to start in on his ramblings as a near frantic Naruto came bursting into the room wearing only the bottom half of his uniform.

"I can't find my shirt or my vest!"

Haku rolled his eyes, skillfully removing the eggs from the pan and onto the three waiting plates.

"They're in the closet."

Without so much as a second glance Naruto went tearing to the other side of the tiny apartment, arriving back in the kitchen fully dressed moments later.

"What the hell were they doing in there?"

"When I came home from my date I nearly tripped and broke my neck because you left them right in front of the door again."

Haku looked rather annoyed but he still didn't miss a beat as he loaded up bacon onto each plate and handed them over to their respective owners. Naruto looked sheepish.

"Yeah, sorry about that I was out really late at Sakura's house and…"

"Say no more."

Haku cut him off with an impatient wave of his hand. Neither he nor Gaara really wanted to think about the pink haired nuisance this early in the morning.

The redhead's eyes trailed over to the large clock hanging above the stove, noting that the minute hand was about fifteen minutes past where he'd like it to be.

"Hey, you guys?" All eyes shifted to him. "I think we should leave now."

---

Thankfully the three made it to work only ten minutes late and no one seemed to notice or care. They gave one another their standard goodbyes before rushing off to their assigned positions, Naruto being the greeter, Haku working the front tables, and Gaara at the back.

The beginning of the day passed pretty normally, customers came in and out for late breakfasts or brunches, it was a very manageable amount of work. Then noontime rolled about and the pace really picked up. This is when corporate leaders would bring in potential buyers to discuss deals over lunch, the environment was normally tense and it was Gaara's least favorite time to work.

It didn't help improve his mood in the least when Neji and two young girls came walking through the door at about one o'clock.

Naruto trounced brightly over to trio, very excited to have his chance to meet the infamous Neji. Suddenly though he halted in his tracks, staring with confusion at the older of the two girls.

"Hinata."

She looked up, a dark blush immediately covering her face.

"N-Naruto? W-What are you doing here?"

He looked equally surprised as she was.

"I work here now."

The girl rubbed nervously at her arm, barely able to make eye contact as she attempted to stutter out another sentence.

"E-Everyone at s-school want to know where you w-went."

Naruto tossed his head back, running a hand freely through his hair.

"I was tired of that place, so I came here." He beamed, looking quite proud of himself." Now would you like me to show you to your table?"

Hinata nodded and the group started shuffling after the blond as he led them to a secluded table on the other side of the room. Hinata kept stealing nervous glances at the boy and then quickly looked away, blushing madly. Neji noticed this, raising an eyebrow with amusement, it wasn't hard to figure out what those looks meant.

The second the three were seated Neji leaned intently forward.

"I'd like to request a specific waiter."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Gaara?"

The brunette nodded, obviously the boy's friends would be aware of their situation.

"Okay, I'll bring him right out. But I can't guarantee he'll be happy to see you."

"I'm not expecting him to be."

Neji leaned back in his seat, looking content.

As expected, it only took a few minutes for a rather peeved Gaara to come shuffling over to his customers.

"May I take your order?"

He opted to get straight to the point, not bothering with any of the standard politeness. Hinata answered him immediately, seemingly grateful for the minimalist amount of human contact.

"My sister and I will both take the soup and salad combo."

The redhead nodded, expertly jotting everything down before turning to face his enemy expectantly. It was no surprise at all when the Hyuga leaned his chin on his hand staring up at him coyly.

"What would you suggest?"

Gaara lowered the notepad he'd been using to shield his face, glaring daggers at the smug brunette.

"I believe the Salisbury steak with a side of mashed potatoes would be an excellent choice."

Neji looked to the side contemplatively and Gaara was certain he was trying to come up with something "witty" to say. His jaw tightened with annoyance, but before the Hyuga had a chance to utter a single word a high-pitched giggle cut through the tense silence.

All eyes turned to a little girl, seated proudly at the table. She looked almost identical to Hinata except her eyes glinted with a devilishness the older girl didn't possess.

"Neji-san has a crush," she snickered.

The elder Hyuga's eyebrow twitched.

"Hanabi, be quite."

His obvious display of annoyance served only to encourage the girl, who started rocking back and forth in her chair.

"Neji and Gaara sittin' in a tree, f-u-c-k-i-"

"HANABI!" She was cut off by a red faced Neji. "Where did you learn that?"

The girl looked quite pleased with herself as her older sister hacked nervously into a napkin.

"School."

"Well never repeat that again! It's crude, and crass, and just so-so un-Hyuga like!"

Gaara chuckled lowly, Neji sure looked funny with a beet red face.

"Do you find this funny?" The Hyuga spat, for the first time looking at Gaara with something other than lust or amusement.

"No, sir." Gaara bit back his smile tauntingly.

"Hm," Neji glared at Hanabi as she began rhythmically kicking his seat, "just bring me the Salisbury steak." He practically threw the menus at Gaara's head. Fortunately the boy caught them, turning on his heel and quickly marching to the kitchen before he outright laughed in his customer's face.

It took the chef awhile to cook up the trio's orders and Gaara used that time to recline against the back wall and observe the amusing scene before him. Hinata was quiet and spent most of her time staring dreamily at Naruto while the other two family members bickered relentlessly. It was quite funny. Hanabi threw a napkin at Neji, knocked his silverware off the table, dipped his tie in his water, and giggled maniacally each time he yelled. It was almost cute to see the Hyuga looking so frazzled…

When Gaara did finally deliver their food Neji hardly spared him a second glance, he was far too busy trying to get Hanabi's bracelet out of his hair.

Gaara considered himself very lucky. Neji was too busy to be a prick and he had run out of customers. For twenty whole minutes he got to hang out in the back of the restaurant and watch his enemy be abused. It was even more amusing than daytime television.

'I can't believe I was ever worried about today…'Jade eyes gleamed with happiness as Neji and his group got up, heading towards the door. 'It has been a good day. A very, very, good day. In fact I might go so far as to say it has been a-wait a minute... Why has Neji stopped walking? Why is he talking to Naruto? Why is he patting him on the back? Why is Naruto looking at me like that? Why is Hinata red? Why is Neji laughing?

The Hyuga slowly turned around to face a bewildered redhead. A familiar smirk was painted across his face accompanied by a wicked glint in his eyes. Gaara gulped nervously when he winked at him before swaggering out the door.

"This is not good," he murmured, making his way quickly over to a near frantic Naruto. "What did you do?"

"I-uh, um…." Naruto trailed off, briefly considering making a run it as his roommates unforgiving gaze bore into him. "I think I just agreed to a double date…"

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I'm back from the dead! I'm so sorry I disappeared like that but I had a lot going on and my stories suffered for it, with any luck I still have a few readers left…

This big gap in writing has total screwed with my creative flow so I need reviewers! Tell me what you think about this chapter (I know it was short) and what you want to happen later because I've forgotten what the plot was going to be…feels dumb

Next up I'm going to try to finally finish Save Me…

REVIEW


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